A Christmas Cliché
by scrittore18
Summary: Sinead has one objective: get through the day without any interactions between her and a certain celebrity. Too bad he has a different goal in mind. Follow-up to 'A Clothing Cliché'. Strong T rating.
1. Chapter 1

**So I was going to edit this and post this weekend but I'm having a REALLY bad day and need some Jonead Christmas cheer...I hope everyone enjoys this!**

—

Another Cahill gathering.

Another 'senseless' bet.

Only this time, Sinead wasn't involved—she had definitely learned her lesson in that area. Leaning her head against the headrest of the rental car, she listened with amusement as Dan and Amy argued over who would be the first to 'ruin' the Kabra annual Christmas party.

"It's going to be Hamilton. The dude has no idea how to act at parties," Dan was saying, only to have Amy combat it with:

"That may be true, but I think he will be at least trying the first couple of hours. Jonah, on the other hand…"

Sinead's heart quickened at the mention of their distant cousin but didn't outwardly react as Amy proceeded to argue her point. "He'll start hip hop dancing or try to take over the DJ booth, I almost guarantee it."

Dan started cackling. "Oh man, that would be epic! I hope you're right! Imagine the look on Ian and Natalie's faces."

"Of course I'll be right. And you will be the one paying for _my_ Hawaiian vacation."

This was the ridiculous part of the bet. Amy and Dan _had_ money, and plenty to spare.

Nellie Gomez, their temporary chauffeur, seemed to agree with her. Raising a pierced eyebrow, she asked, "I expected more creativity from you two. If you need my help, I'm a pro at making bet terms. If you recall"—Sinead felt the older girl's stare, but ignored it—"I helped Dan with one not too long ago."

She was referring to a bet between Sinead and Dan, made and carried out only three months ago. It had been a complete disaster, ending with Sinead losing and having to wear Jonah Wizard's clothes for an entire day. The Ekat tried not to think about it, but every once in awhile the memory would drift through her mind before she could stop it—like now.

" _You look good in my clothes."_

The sentence echoed in her head, just like it had many times since then. And every single time it was accompanied with a rush of anger. She could almost hear the Janus' voice too—laced with a smirk—which sent a rush of heat throughout her body, which she channeled into even _more_ anger.

 _Stop thinking about it! You're only making it worse._

Besides, it wasn't like it had meant anything. He had only been trying to get under her skin. In fact, Sinead doubted he would even talk to her at the party tonight, let alone the rest of the weekend.

She was brought back to the present by the taste of blood in her mouth and realized that she had been practically gnawing on her lip.

"You alright back there Starling?" Nellie's voice drawled. "You look pale."

"I'm always pale," was Sinead's automatic response. Then, to deflect the attention from her, she added, "I'm dreading this party, that's all. It's probably going to be super uppity and the music will probably suck too."

It worked. All three of the other passengers made a face at her words.

"I hope the food isn't too awful," Dan said, then brightened. "If it is though, I brought back-up. But don't spread it around because I have limited quantities."

"Oooh did you bring some chocolate-covered Zefirs by any chance?"

Dan stared at Nellie blankly. "Some what?"

Nellie started to answer but was distracted by pulling into the Kabra's ridiculously long drive. They had all seen it before but never with Christmas decor lining the pathway. Gold and silver lights adorned the trees, while gigantic red glass ornaments hung strategically from branches.

In no time at all they were being ushered in by the butler, who informed them that 'Master Ian' and 'Mistress Natalie' were busy with party preparations, but to go ahead and settle in their rooms and simply 'ring him' if they needed anything. "The Kabras request everyone's presence downstairs at precisely 6:00pm," he added. "So please do not be tardy."

Dan rolled his eyes but Amy politely answered that they wouldn't. As soon as she was safely inside the room with Sinead, however, she mimicked "please do not be tardy!"

Sinead released a chuckle. "Do you think that was from Ian or Natalie?"

"Probably Natalie," Amy admitted. "But I wouldn't put it past Ian either."

Mentally agreeing with her cousin, Sinead glanced around the lavish room but wasn't impressed. Now if there was advanced technology filling the space instead of pointless decor, that would be another story.

"I'm unpacking," she announced. "Then I'm working on the project I brought."

"We'll need to start getting ready soon too."

Sinead grimaced. "I almost forgot about the hours of preparation required for holiday parties."

Amy chuckled but the Ekat sighed. This was going to be a long weekend.

—

Jonah had been to countless parties. So many in fact, that while he took them in stride, he usually was pretty bored with them.

This one was different, though.

He glanced at the door again, trying to peer through the hoards of guests that the Kabras had invited. The huge ballroom of the estate was kind of crowded, but he felt like he would spot her the instant she walked in.

He felt so pathetic, letting one girl—and a brainy _Ekat_ at that—affect him so badly.

Sinead Starling's face popped into his mind again, almost the same as every other time she came into his thoughts. It wasn't the image of her blazing eyes, the annoyed look she sometimes threw him, or even the nonchalant expression she had worn most of the day when she had 'borrowed' his clothes. No, it was the image of her face as she stared at him, almost panicked, like he was seeing too much of her, the part that she liked to hide from everyone. It was the part of her that made him curious, that made him want to get to know her better.

And he was hoping that this party would be the perfect opening for him. Jonah wasn't an idiot (though he pretended to be sometimes, and it worked to his advantage), he knew that it wouldn't be easy to surpass the Ekat's walls, but he had done it before. How hard could it possibly be to do it again?

He scanned the room once more, and then he spotted her, walking in with Amy. Dressed in a black dress, she didn't look much different from a lot of the other guests. But the sleeves and top of the short outfit were lacey, showing off her skin, and he had to force his eyes off of her legs, which were emphasized by the black high heels she was wearing. Her head was turned, but his eyes drifted up to her hair, worn down with loose curls, and his mouth went dry.

It wasn't fair how she made him feel. With just one _look_ at her, he was gone, and he hadn't even looked at her face.

Then she turned, drawing his attention to her eyes, her best trait in his opinion. Since she wasn't looking at him, he allowed his gaze to linger. Bright green eyes were scanning the dance floor warily like it would attack her and force her to the floor, and slender hands were folded in front of her as if preparing for such an attack.

His heartbeat sped up, his mouth went dry, and nerves clenched his stomach but instead of those things freezing him in his tracks, they propelled him towards her. Jonah was a lot of things but he wasn't a coward.

As he approached he saw Ned join the two girls but he kept going, not stopping until he reached them.

"Jonah, hi!" Amy was the first to greet him, followed by polite greetings from the two Starlings. Ned smiled at him but Sinead barely glanced his way.

Jonah returned the greetings and was trying to figure out how to ask Sinead to dance when Amy suddenly excused herself, leaving him with the two siblings.

 _Well, there's no time like the present,_ Jonah thought, seeing that Sinead was glancing around like she was trying to find a reason to escape.

"Do you want to dance Sinead?"

She jerked her head over, a look of shock gracing her features. Ned looked a little surprised too, but Jonah noticed that he stepped back and smiled.

"Um," she stammered. "Uh, no."

"You'll wear my clothes for an entire day but you won't dance one dance with me?"

The glare she turned on him was withering and would have sent most guys running to the corner. But Jonah Wizard wasn't 'most guys.'

Holding her gaze, he gave her a sincere smile and held out his hand. "I was only joking. Dance with me, please?"

When she gaped at him, he resorted to bargaining. "I won't ever ask you ever again—unless you want me to that is. Please. I wanna talk to you."

She held his gaze for a minute, and Jonah felt the nerves return under her searching eyes. What was up with all of this emotional stuff? Wasn't he the one that was supposed to have the upper-hand?

Finally, she gave him a quick nod and tentatively took his offered hand. Jonah fought the urge to grin like an idiot.

Thankfully a song was playing that he was familiar with: 'Kiss From a Rose' by Seal. He was surprised that the Kabras were actually playing it at their party but he went with it, leading Sinead to an empty spot on the floor and placing them near the middle. She didn't protest so he got into position, lightly grazing her waist with his free hand. His other hand clasped hers tighter as he quickly found a rhythm and he couldn't help but note how Sinead fell into step almost right away.

It was silent until they got to the chorus, then Jonah decided to break it. "You're a pretty good dancer."

Before she could answer he spun her and was relieved when she easily followed his lead. As he pulled her back to him, he couldn't help but mouth the line " _Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels_ ".

To Sinead's credit, she didn't look embarrassed but he heard the sigh she let out.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it." He let out a little laugh. "It's in my blood."

She rolled her eyes at the pun but looked more amused than anything else. "Like inventing and technology is in mine?"

"Yep."

He paused, shifted them to the right quickly to avoid another couple who had no clue what they were doing, then admitted, "You know, when I approached you and your brothers at that party last year, that was the main reason why."

"What do you mean?" Sinead asked, her brow wrinkling in confusion.

"You can't tell anyone this cause it might ruin my rep."

She gave him an exasperated look but he shook his head. "I'm serious. My mom would kill me."

Now she frowned but nodded at him. "I promise."

"I really like technology, computers mainly. My mom and dad don't mind when I use them for creating music and lyrics, but kinda frown if I get too 'gadgety'. I guess a Janus isn't supposed to be into that stuff."

Sinead looked like she wanted to say something but he rushed on while he still had the courage. "Anyways, I've always been fascinated by how smart you three are, so that's why I came up that time. I wanted to talk to Ned about computers but had to be casual about it."

The redhead in front of him was silent for a minute, before saying, "That's really sad."

"What? That I like things like that?" He looked away self-consciously. "Or that a Janus like me could be interested—"

"No." There was an impatient note in her tone and he whipped his head back to look at her. "It's sad that you can't tell anyone. Who cares if you like stuff like that. I—" but she cut off abruptly.

"You what?" he inquired, curious.

He saw her swallow, then her eyes met his, guarded but somehow open at the same time. "You have to promise that you won't tell anyone either."

"Of course I do."

"I like drag racing. I even have my own car and gear and enter professional competitions. Just not popular ones and I race under an alias so no one will find out."

He halted mid-step, not sure if he heard her right. She groaned and looked down. "See? It's totally stupid. I can't believe I just admitted that to you."

"I think it's cool!" he blurted.

She kept her stance though, so he took the hand that was on her waist and used it to touch her jaw, noting how soft her skin was. "Hey, look at me."

To his shock, she obeyed, but all traces of openness were gone from her face.

Not deterred, he studied her for a second, then dropped his hand and smiled.

"What?" she snapped.

Shrugging, he confessed, "I was just imagining you all geared out."

"And that picture is funny?"

"Nope. Cute. You would look adorable in a racing suit."

Sinead was back to looking at him like he had three heads, and he figured he would be in for it. Instead, he was rewarded by her smile. It was a tiny smile and didn't hold one hundred percent humor, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"You're so _weird,_ " she stated.

Again, all he could manage was a shrug. "Well, the ladies love me in spite of that."

To his surprise she ignored his comment, looking down and focusing on her feet. Jonah wasn't sure why, she had been doing just fine so far, but he let it slide, thinking it probably was better for _him_ that she hadn't responded.

When she lifted her head again, her expression was blank. Jonah didn't know what to say to break the silence but put his hand back in place, this time taking a bit more liberty and lightly running his fingers over her waist. To distract her from the movement, he quickly asked, "You should tell me the next time you're racing."

"Why?"

"So I can come watch."

Skepticism flickered in her eyes. "Why would you do that? You're a celebrity that's probably super busy all of the time."

"Hey, I gotta take time off too. Besides, it would be fun. I could disguise myself as a little old granny or something."

She snorted, but he was still talking. "White wig, ugly glasses, bushy eyebrows..."

"Grannys don't have bushy eyebrows," she countered.

"Well I did."

"Wait, you've actually dressed up as a grandma before?"

"A celeb's gotta do what a celeb's gotta do. If you saw my fans, you would do it too."

At first, Sinead just stared at him. Then, to his amazement, she laughed—not a chuckle either, but a _real_ laugh—and his heart thudded at the sound. All he could do was stare in fascination. It was so rare that she dropped her defenses that he wanted her to keep laughing so he could keep gazing at her. Her eyes were lit up with amusement, her cheeks flushed, and suddenly he was tempted to kiss her.

 _Not a smart move. Don't do it,_ he warned himself, and just in time, because Sinead stopped, shook her head, her expression mellowing.

"Sorry, but the mental image was funny."

She didn't _look_ sorry, and he was about to point that fact out when the song ended. Jonah had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed. But he quickly got with the program, taking her hand in his and leading her off the floor. As much as he wanted to dance another dance with her, he didn't want to push it. She allowed him to lead her but withdrew her hand as soon as they maneuvered through the last dancing couple.

"Thanks for the dance," he told her.

A tentative smile crossed her lips but she only nodded. Trying to give off the appearance of feeling normal—instead of dancing in exhilaration or jumping up and down like he _actually_ felt—he turned slightly, watching out of the corner of his eye as she walked to the refreshment table.

That had gone a lot better than he thought.

—

Sinead released a deep breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Her hand was steady as she took a glass from a staff member though and she silently applauded herself. No matter that on the inside, she was still reeling from the dance.

 _It's just nerves. You haven't danced in a while. It has nothing to do with_ _ **him.**_

Mumbling her thanks to the waiter, she turned around, only to come face to face with Nellie.

"Hey Sinead, how is it going? Enjoying the party so far?" she asked, her eyebrows quirked and a gleam in her eye that Sinead ignored.

"Sure. Amy and I just got here a few minutes ago though."

"Still, it looks like you've already jumped right in."

"I guess." Sinead glanced over Nellie's shoulder, trying to find an excuse to escape.

"I thought I spotted a laugh too. What was that all about? Jonah tell you a joke?"

Annoyance flared in her but she attempted to shove it down, knowing that the older girl would only misread it. "No," she said tightly. "He didn't. Now if you'll excuse me..."

She tried to slip past but Nellie's words halted her. "It's not wrong to have feelings for someone you know. He's a good guy."

Feeling her chest constrict, she glanced back at Nellie, her temper barely in check. "It's none of your business Nellie. And I _don't_ have feelings for him."

Doubt flickered over the other girl's face but Sinead didn't stick around to hear any more. She was over this party already.

But as she walked away, one thing Nellie had said nagged at her, and that was because it was probably _true._

Jonah did seem like a good guy. She hadn't expected the dance to go so well. He had been respectful (even though that one time he had run his hand over her waist a little too much) and the conversation had actually been interesting. _And_ they had both shared something personal with one another; something that could be used as blackmail. Only Jonah hadn't come across as the type to do that.

 _Great. Now you're being all soft. He's still arrogant. Don't forget that moment in the Holt's kitchen a couple of months ago._

Sinead replayed the scene to get it back in her head before she refocused on the present moment. She would take her drink and sit in the corner all night with Amy. There would be no more dances and absolutely _no_ more interaction with a certain Janus.

 _You're not being fair about this, or to him,_ the thought whispered in her head. But what else could she do? Being around him left her feeling unsettled, vulnerable even. And she'd had her share of being open with people in her life, enough to learn a valuable fact.

Vulnerability only made one more likely to get hurt.

—

Four hours later, Sinead found herself changing out of her dress only to change _back_ into casual clothes to go hang out in. It had been Dan's idea to stay up and eat dessert after all of the party guests had left ( _and_ after hearing that the Kabras had a full ice cream bar in one of their many kitchens.) and everyone else had readily agreed. Sinead wanted to point out that it was almost midnight and that in order to stay healthy, they probably needed sleep instead of ice cream but she held back, especially when her brothers jumped at the idea.

Now, after a quick glance in the mirror to make sure that her khakis were crisp and her plaid shirt was wrinkle-free, she slowly made her way downstairs, telling herself that after she made an appearance she would come back upstairs and be alone.

It wasn't like she didn't like her cousins but Jonah's presence was slightly unnerving. She should never have agreed to dance with him. Only minutes after she had escaped to the sidelines, she had spotted him dancing with one of Natalie's friends—a pretty blonde. It shouldn't have bothered her that the girl kept trying to rub her body all over the rappers but it did all the same. She hated herself for caring but also told herself that if _that_ was the type of girl he wanted, it wasn't any of her business. The logical side of her brain reminded Sinead that Jonah hadn't seemed comfortable with the attention and kept backing up from the girl, but she pushed it away. He loved attention, so she probably was reading that wrong.

She continued to the kitchen only to halt right outside of it, where Amy, Ian, and Natalie were standing in the small sitting area.

"Hey guys," she greeted them.

"Sinead I'm surprised to see that you're still up," Natalie commented.

A voice from the hall countered, "I'm actually surprised that _you're_ still up. Don't you have beauty sleep to get?"

Dan's face came into view following his half-insult, a smirk on his face.

"Some of us don't need as much to stay beautiful Daniel," Natalie said sweetly. "But _you_ wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Psh I don't care about beauty. It's a total waste. Now where is the ice cream?"

The British girl, to Sinead's surprise, suddenly moved right in Dan's path, blocking him from entering the kitchen. "How dare you insult me and then ask to eat _my_ ice cream?!"

"Whoa, chill out princess—"

"And how _dare_ you call me that!"

The shrillness of Natalie's voice made Sinead wince, and she was about to intervene when she was surprised once again. Instead of continuing the fight, Dan's face transformed, an apologetic look crossing it. "I'm sorry Natalie. May I please have some ice cream?"

She stared at him in astonishment and Dan used the opportunity to slide past, calling out a cheery "thanks!" over his shoulder. Sinead now wanted to chuckle at the brilliance of his plan but stopped once she caught Natalie's stormy gaze. Muttering something about a "fatuous imbecile", the Lucian flew through the kitchen door, probably to chew Dan out some more.

"Well, that was entertaining," Ian drawled. Turning to Amy he said, "I do hope your brother's insurance is up to date."

Amy only rolled her eyes. "They're on their own. I'm hungry. Your party food wasn't exactly the most filling thing."

Ian let out a long-suffering sigh and gave Amy a sympathetic look. "Amy, love, allow me to explain…"

"No thank you."

Sinead watched as her cousin turned and followed the other two, Ian close on her heels, ignoring her words and trying to explain 'high society' functions to her. The Ekat was just about to join them when a voice stopped her.

"Sinead!"

Great. She could be rude and ignore him, or she could talk to him briefly and try to keep it short. Sinead was about to go with the first one when his voice sounded again, this time right behind her.

"Hey, wait a second, I wanna talk to you about something."

"What is it Jonah?" she asked tightly, turning to face him.

He frowned in confusion, probably at her tone but she didn't care. He could go call up blondie if he wanted someone that would fall all over him.

"Uh, I was just going to show you my schedule so we can compare. I meant it earlier when I said I wanted to see you race."

Sinead held back her cringe, her thoughts going back to their dance. It had been nice at that moment but she knew that she couldn't allow any of this to continue. "I don't know when I'll race next. I have tons of school assignments to get done. My 4.0 GPA won't stay that way if I don't stay on top of it."

"Whoa, that's your grade?" Jonah sounded impressed. "Cool. But don't you get breaks?"

"Not that many," she lied, not meeting his gaze directly. " _Some_ of us value education."

Sinead caught him stiffen, even though she was trying not to look at him.

"What's that supposed to mean? And why are you acting like this? I thought earlier—"

"You thought wrong." She finally directed her gaze at him. Instead of hurt like she expected or a pout, he was staring at her almost like he was trying to look through her. Immediately on the defense, she snapped. "Look, I don't know what your game is here but I'm not playing it. Quit trying to act like you're interested in my life."

Most people would have retreated at that but Jonah's eyes grew amused, replacing the intense look. "If you like me, just admit it."

"W-what?" she barely managed, thrown-off by the abrupt topic change.

"C'mon I know you enjoyed our dance earlier, so you don't have to pretend that you hate me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said stiffly. Then, to distract herself and to cover how flustered she suddenly felt, she headed for the kitchen door, not wanting to stay another second than she had to.

"Hey, I know it's intimidating since I'm this huge celebrity and pretty attractive on top of that, but I'm not really that—"

"I can't believe you!" she said right as she opened the door.

Everyone was sitting around the table, eating ice cream when the two entered. They stopped to stare at them but Sinead ignored them, Jonah's prior comment still being her main focus.

"You are so freaking arrogant!" she snapped at him now, turning and halting on her way to the fridge. "Doesn't it ever get annoying?"

" _I'm_ arrogant? Isn't that a little hypocritical of you? I mean, you were the one just bragging—" His tone was nonchalant, and that coupled with his words made her blood boil.

"Hypocritical? You did _not_ just say that to me!" Sinead said, and she would have gone on, only snickers from the table behind them made her pause.

"What's so funny?" She turned her anger on the group there, who were all exchanging glances and grins.

"Look up!" The laughter rang in Madison's voice, making it barely legible.

Heart sinking and a bad feeling taking over her, Sinead slowly lifted her eyes.

Sure enough. Mistletoe.

Snapping her eyes back to Jonah—who was now sending her a lazy smirk, his eyes alight with laughter—she gritted out, "There is no way in heck we're kissing."

"It's tradition!" Nellie sang out. "So pucker up you two. Wait, let me get my camera."

Sinead's face drained as everyone surrounding them started laughing.

Backing up slowly, she said in a low voice, "Well I'm not a 'traditional' girl."

She looked back at Jonah and added, "Besides, I would much rather gouge my own eyes out than kiss _you_."

"That's cause you've never kissed me."

Gaping at him, all she could do was sputter.

"See, you're already speechless."

"That's not why—"

"Not that anyone would blame you for liking it or anything. I'm a pro at kissing," he said easily like it was common knowledge.

" _Actually_ , studies reveal that in order for someone to enjoy a kiss they have to be attracted to the other person. Which means that in this case, I would just be tolerating it. Sorry to burst your little bubble."

Jonah just grinned. "So if you _do_ enjoy kissing me that means you have feelings for me? Challenge accepted."

Her heart felt like it stopped, and she heard her own voice say weakly, "Wait, that's not—"

But she was cut off by him stepping closer and saying, "Wanna know what I think? I think you're scared you might actually _like_ it."

"Now why would I be scared of that? Like kissing you is something—"

She stopped when he drew closer, halting within inches from her. Suddenly _aware_ of the heat coming off his body, she wondered what she was getting herself into.

"Something?" he prompted.

Sinead cleared her throat, hating how his eyes—light chocolate yet somehow intense—were boring into hers. She had never noticed now _alive_ they were.

"Something _special_ ," she finished, taking another step backward.

But she hit the wall and knew that she was trapped. Glancing behind him (partly to get away from his gaze) she noticed that her brothers and cousins were looking on curiously and knew that they would be no help.

Thinking fast, she blurted out, "Besides, we aren't even _under_ the mistletoe anymore. So kissing is pointless."

The celebrity grinned again. "Oh, this has turned into more than simply a tradition."

She watched him place one of his hands on the wall beside her waist, almost but not quite touching her. Looking up quickly she saw his other hand moving towards her. Not sure what to do, she held her breath as he lightly brushed her hair from her face.

"And does everything have to be logical and scientific in your mind? Why not just go with the flow?"

Before she could protest that he had _no right_ to touch her without her consent or to judge her when he knew nothing about her, he leaned in.

Sinead stiffened but he paused right before his lips touched hers, both hands moving to skim her face as he studied her.

"Logic is overrated," he muttered, and then she felt his lips against hers.

Closing her eyes out of reflex, her brain screamed at her to not enjoy it. If she could just stand there until he was done...but it was hard when his kiss was so _sweet._

Sinead hadn't been expecting that; hadn't expected him to keep his hands cupped on her cheeks as he brushed his lips over hers again and again, almost like he was coaxing her to enjoy it, to kiss him back. But that's what she was doing. She was _enjoying_ it.

The thought came to her mind that she shouldn't be and it caused her to whisper at the first chance she got, "That's it? Well, I'm not impressed."

Her voice came out breathy which she _hated_ and it was a total lie. But he didn't need to know that.

"That's cause I'm not _done_ yet." Jonah's voice was as smooth as velvet, a perfect mix of innocence and seduction. And Sinead couldn't help but shut her mouth, especially as his lips lightly touched hers again. She couldn't help but let out a sigh too as he looped an arm around her neck and drew her closer to his body, a move that somehow made her feel so _secure._

That, mixed with his scent, screamed masculinity and confidence and she liked it. She also liked the way he was kissing around her mouth now. It felt so intimate, almost like there were actual _feelings_ involved. At the back of her mind, she knew that there weren't, but there suddenly wasn't any more time for thoughts like that because her focus shifted to what Jonah was currently doing.

One minute he was kissing her softly, the next she could feel his tongue grazing hers. Reflexively, she gasped, the move being unexpected. And it felt so _good._

 _He's an amazing kisser. Wow._

That was the only thought she had and without even meaning to she could feel herself start to respond. Her hands moved to grasp his shoulders and he, in turn, tightened his grip around her.

Somehow still through it all, she could register voices and whistles in the room, but she couldn't bring herself to even care, especially as he kept exploring her mouth and she felt herself getting lost as the sensations took over her body.

He moved out suddenly and before she knew it she had let out a whimper at the lost contact.

"J-Jonah."

Was that her voice, all breathy and rough sounding?

"Hmm?" he whispered against her lips. "Did that feel good?"

He didn't give her a chance to answer, instead going back to kiss her like that.

Gripping his shoulders tighter to steady herself as she began to lose herself in the moment, she began responding back again, this time her reserve totally falling away.

All the while her mind was screaming at her to stop, to pull away, to protest, but she couldn't. It was like for once in her life, all logic had been pushed to a tiny corner of her mind, allowing her to actually _feel._

Vaguely, she could hear the whistles and murmuring of voices fade but her main focus was on the sensations coursing through her—the sensations that _Jonah_ was causing her to feel.

She didn't even care that he was gaining the upper-hand right now. She didn't care that he shouldn't be doing this, that _she_ shouldn't be allowing this. She didn't even care that one of his hands was lightly skimming her waist, right at the hem of her shirt.

It wasn't until she felt his hands _under_ her shirt, grazing her sides, that she stiffened, reality crashing down on her. Drawing back abruptly, she felt panic seize her.

 _My scars. He can't feel—_

But it was too late.

He had. She felt his hand there, although only for a brief second. Gasping for air and tugging her shirt down, she ducked under him and darted for the door.

"Wait. Sinead—" she heard his voice behind her say but she shut it out, hitting the door and practically bursting through it.

Her brothers and cousins, all sitting and standing throughout the room, stopped and stared at her, open-mouthed.

Quickly composing her face, she headed for the door only yards away, her entire being focused on the freedom it would bring.

"Are you crying? What happened?" Ned demanded.

Was she crying? Now that her brother said something, she could feel her eyes sting, though thankfully the tears hadn't let out. Inhaling sharply she snapped, "No. And I don't want to talk about it. Ask _him._ "

She finally reached the door, this time gently easing it open and shut it behind her. Then she breathed in the frosty night air and told herself to calm down. Surely Jonah wouldn't say anything, though he was probably thinking plenty.

Fighting against tears again, she lectured herself as she made her way blindly through the Kabra's estate, no particular destination in mind

 _And why do you care what he thinks about you? So what if he's totally turned-off now? Isn't that supposed to make you happy?_

Only for some strange reason, it didn't make her happy at all.

—

Jonah stood there after Sinead left, trying to think. What had just happened?

Deep down he knew why she bolted. Obviously, it was over her scars, scars that he had felt with his own hands. Jonah knew that she had them on her arm—everyone knew that—but he had been a little stunned to discover that they were on her side too.

But still, why was it such a big deal? While the jagged, rough skin had thrown him off a little, it definitely wouldn't have made him pull away or anything. He had been enjoying kissing her way too much.

Jonah had kissed a lot of girls, so it was a little surprising that it felt so _good_ to kiss Sinead. It wasn't supposed to be her getting the upper hand back there, but Jonah felt like if the kissing would have continued he would have ended up at her mercy. Her responsiveness had awakened something inside of him, and it wasn't just physical.

Groaning and pushing the thoughts away, he figured it was time to escape to his room. He wouldn't enjoy the rest of the evening now anyways and everyone was sure to wonder why Sinead had suddenly run out. He had heard her voice in the next room there for a second but she was probably gone by now.

Making his feet move, he forced a relaxed expression on his face as he exited the kitchen.

Ten pairs of eyes immediately zeroed in on him but he tried to ignore them. Maybe he could slide through quickly enough where no one would question him…

"What happened in there?" Ted asked. "And _why_ did my sister look like she was about to cry?"

 _Dang it. She was crying?_

Jonah felt guilty even though he knew it wasn't really his fault. Looking up at Ted, he said calmly, "I didn't do anything if that's what you're implying."

"Well, it must have been something with the way she ran out!" Ned jumped in, looking as ticked off as his brother. "Besides, she said to ask you right before she bolted."

 _Thanks a lot Sinead._

Out loud he said, "Hey we were just kissing, okay? I might have gotten a little too close to…" at their looks he hastily amended, "I mean, I thought they were just on her arm—"

"Wait, 'too close'? Her 'arm'?" Ned demanded, his face whitening as he stared at him. "Are you talking about…"

He exchanged a look with Ted, then spoke up. "Her scars? Is that what you're referring to?"

Jonah almost didn't want to confess, not sure if Sinead's brothers would want to beat him up or what but decided that being upfront was probably a good move. He had been really cool with Ned and Ted up to this point but knew that this was a different situation. "Uh yeah, I mean, I didn't know…"

"She told you though? She never talks about them, let alone allows anyone near them!" Ted stared at him incredulously.

"What are you guys talking about? We all know about her scars," Amy inserted, looking puzzled.

"Not those. The ones on her side," Ned bit out. "The ones that she gets defensive about if Ted or I even bring them up. The ones that neither of us have seen before."

"Look," Jonah said, not liking the way the two Starling boys were glaring at him. "I didn't see them."

"How did you know about them then?" Ted demanded.

"Um"—he swallowed, wondering briefly if he should go ahead and call his insurance—"I felt them. But just for a second before she bolted."

Everyone just stared at him. Some of the girls were smiling and Jonah was pretty sure Nellie was trying not to laugh but he ignored them, keeping his focus on Ted and Ned.

Taking a deep breath, he swallowed his pride and stated, "I had no idea it would upset her so bad or I wouldn't have touched her there. And I definitely wasn't trying to hurt her."

The seriousness of his tone must have worked because he noticed Ned relax a little and let out a breath.

Ted kept frowning though and looked him straight in the eye. "Do you like her Jonah? Or was all of that in the kitchen just a game to you?"

 _Wow. He just basically asked if I'm playing his sister; in front of everyone._

Jonah hated this position but didn't show it, holding Ted's gaze. "Your sister is amazing. But she probably hates me right now and wouldn't listen if I tried to talk to her. And that's all I'm telling _you._ "

Changing his mind about his destination, he grabbed his rental car keys from the pocket of his jeans and headed for the door, not sure where he was going but knowing that he had to get away. "Later."

He heard one of the Starling's voices behind him but he had no idea what they said, nor did he care.

This night definitely hadn't been what he'd expected.

—

 **The end. For now. Bwahahahaha!**

 **But really, the simple story I had in mind took this crazy turn and now I don't know really know how to resolve this...hmmmm… *wheels spinning***

 **Oh and I'm totally in the mood to write more Christmas stuff, so any ideas? I'm thinking of a Natan or a Jonah-centric...something funny...I dunno.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2 is here! I have one more chapter, then a short companion piece I'm planning for New Years.**

 **Warning: This is a heavy 'T' for minor adult themes (non-sexual, don't worry haha). But I am actually pulling some of this from something I wrote about a year ago. Also, there are a couple of more 'clichés' included...so sorry...buuuut hopefully it won't be too unrealistic.**

 **Also, I absolutely do not cuss and even hate writing those words in my stories. But for the sake of part of this I've used a couple of words but asterisked them out because I'm weird. ;)**

—

Sinead didn't know how she let herself roped into these things.

But here she was, walking along a pathway near the Thames River with her cousins following the evening after she had made a fool out of herself. She tried to get out of it by using the excuse of a test she had to take but Amy had ruined that one. It was annoying how her cousin knew her schedule so well.

The Kabras had insisted on dining at a fancy restaurant on the edge of the famous river, but thankfully it was away from the busy part of the city. In fact, the Holts (who hadn't been too thrilled at first of the prospect of getting dressed up) had been excited once they learned the location. Apparently, the last time they had been through London they had found a basketball court that wasn't too far away. After a short argument between the Kabras and practically everyone else, it was decided. Following the meal, they would walk to the court and play a few games. Sinead hadn't really involved herself in the discussion, though. She was too busy trying to act normal.

Overall, the evening hadn't been _horrible_ , Sinead just felt uncomfortable whenever in close proximity of Jonah. But the celebrity hadn't even spoken to her all throughout dinner, much to her relief.

 _But you're a little disappointed too. You hoped that maybe he would be different, that maybe he could look past—_

"Here we are!" Hamilton stated cheerfully, turning to them.

Sinead looked around, following his gesture. The court was nice—full-size too, which would normally motivate her to play but she stared at it apathetically. At the moment, all she wanted was to be anywhere but here. Yes, it sounded whiny and negative but she didn't care. It was killing her to act like everything was normal.

 _At least everyone stopped asking you what was wrong._

Between Amy and her brothers—who had bugged her both last night and today—she almost went crazy. Finally, she had snapped at them that she had just made a bad decision by letting Jonah kiss her and she was over it, and they dropped the subject. She wasn't fooling them, she knew, but obviously they didn't have the energy to pursue it.

"Are you playing?" Ted asked her.

Normally she would and he knew it, so she scrambled for an excuse. While she liked the idea of physical activity, Jonah had already taken a place on the court, and she was still trying to avoid him.

"No, I think I ate too much and probably don't need to move around a lot," she said, hoping that he hadn't noticed that she barely touched her food that night.

But he nodded and jogged out onto the court. Settling on the grass, Sinead looked over to see who else was sitting out. Natalie and Amy were perched on a bench right beside her and she felt relieved that it was just them. Ian wasn't playing either but he had walked away on his phone, probably trying to distance himself from the physical activity. He had been the only one (besides his sister of course) that hadn't brought casual clothes to change into.

The other two girls started talking but Sinead didn't join in. They probably didn't expect her too though, given her silence through most of the meal. The Ekat instead focused on watching the captains pick teams, feeling slightly amused as Hamilton and Madison argued over people. But it soon settled down as everyone took their positions to start playing.

She couldn't hear anything but it looked like Jonah said something, causing everyone to stop where they were. Then he started walking off-court, in their direction.

"What's he doing?" Natalie asked rhetorically, pausing mid-sentence.

As he was walking he shrugged off his jacket. But instead of laying it to the side of the court, he continued towards them, not stopping until he was right in front of Sinead

"Here." He held it out to her.

She stared at him dumbly until he dropped it on her lap with an eye roll.

"You're shivering genius. Put it on."

He didn't wait for an answer, instead, turning and jogging back to the game.

Pressing her lips together, she stared down at the garment, not sure what to do.

"Are you going to wear it?" Amy asked, bringing Sinead's eyes to her.

Her friend's face was lit up with amusement and Sinead could see out of her peripheral vision that Natalie was smirking too.

"No," Sinead said, looking away and out at the game which was now starting.

She thought she saw Jonah looking over at her a few times during plays, but she ignored him, stubbornly pretending that she _wasn't_ freezing her butt off.

At the first time-out, she saw him look over again, but instead of coming back over he pulled out his phone.

 _Good. He needs to just drop the subject,_ she thought. But then her phone lit up, a number she didn't recognize displaying on the screen, and her heart sank. _Surely it's not him. He doesn't have my number._

But she let out a curse as she opened it. Sure enough, it was from him. She could tell by the message. It read: _put it on or I'll come over there and warm you up another way._

Mouth dropping open, she let out a hiss as she scanned the faces around her. "Did one of you give Jonah my phone number?"

At the negative responses, Sinead groaned. "Why did I even ask that? He probably batted his eyes at some database worker and got it handed to him."

"So did he text you?" Amy asked, looking intrigued. "And I think he's about to come over here."

"Crud." Sinead flushed as she remembered his threat, and with an annoyed sigh put the jacket on in one swift motion, not daring to look in Jonah's direction again.

"Um, should I even ask?" Amy questioned.

"No. But I'm going to _talk_ to him about it later," she said calmly, trying not to change facial expressions. A hard thing to do when her emotions were in turmoil.

 _He's not supposed to care anymore. He's not supposed to do sweet things like give you his jacket when you're cold and threaten you into wearing it. He's not supposed to want anything to do with you._

But the thoughts wouldn't leave her, especially when his jacket smelled like him and reminded her entirely too much of the kisses they had shared the prior night. The same feelings were taking over her again and he wasn't even anywhere _near_ her right now.

So she sat and forced her mind to blank out, while also attempting not to breathe. It was difficult, but finally the game was over and the guys and the Holt girls rejoined them.

She saw Jonah smirking at her as they approached and tried to ignore him. But when he innocently said, "So my threat worked?" she couldn't help but snap back at him.

"I can't stand you. And how did you even get my phone number?"

"Here we go," Ian mumbled from beside her but Sinead was too busy shooting daggers at a certain Janus to care.

"You're welcome," Jonah stated, his face going from amused to annoyed, matching her look. "Since rudeness is apparently your way of saying 'thank you'."

"Okay, let's walk around!" Reagan inserted in a cheerful voice. "There's this really cool cafe down this path where we can get drinks."

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Natalie said, gracefully standing up. "It's simply too cold to be sitting here."

"Well if you would have played the game princess, you would be fine."

That came from Dan and Natalie said something in reply but Sinead was too busy fighting back a frustrated groan to care.

 _Stupid...arrogant...annoying…_ she thought as she walked beside Nellie.

She started to feel guilty though after a few minutes of walking. It was cold outside, Jonah had been really nice to give her his jacket—the jacket she still had on while he was probably freezing—and he was right that she was being ungrateful.

Swallowing her pride, she whispered, "I'll be right back" to Nellie and jogged up the trail a little ways until she reached Jonah.

He glanced over at her as she fell into step beside him but didn't say anything, looking straight ahead again.

"Look," she hedged. "I'm sorry I was rude, alright? And thank you for giving me your jacket, even though I didn't ask you to."

The words were difficult to say and an awkward silence fell after she spoke them, but then Jonah's voice broke it. "You're welcome."

Sinead wanted to say more, to explain why she got so defensive, to ask him _why_ he was still acting so normal towards her when he knew now. But she stayed quiet, not brave enough to voice it.

"Sinead. I want to ask you something," he said suddenly, and she braced herself for it.

"Go ahead."

Her voice sounded guarded, even to herself, and he paused for a minute, pulling her to the side of the path and letting the others pass. Sinead kept her gaze on his forehead, preparing herself for the worst.

"Relax," he sounded amused. "It's not bad."

She didn't reply, and she heard him inhale a breath. "Okay, so I know this is personal, and none of my business"—now her heart started drumming and she _really_ avoided his gaze—"but why do they bother you so much?"

 _What?_

Astonished, she met his eyes. They were searching hers as if confused.

"You're talking about my scars?" She hated voicing it, but she had to make sure.

When he nodded she snorted and started walking on the path again. He caught up though and talked like she hadn't just snubbed the subject. "Yo, I mean, you freaked out in the kitchen and left before I could even register what happened. Did you think it would turn me off or something? Cause it wouldn't have happened."

Now she laughed, though it was full of sarcasm. "Right."

"I'm being honest."

Sinead shook her head. While she was sure that he _thought_ he was being honest, she had been here before. Before she realized what she was saying, she heard her voice say, "Look, it's happened before. So I'm sorry that I have a difficult time believing you."

With that she picked up the pace, spotting her cousins a few yards ahead, leaving the path to cross a large grassy area where only a couple of people were milling around. Once again, Jonah caught up with her, but instead of acting mad he sounded startled. "Hey, what are ya talking about, 'before'? Who—"

"Hey, we're almost there guys!" Reagan said, turning. "This cafe is the bomb!"

Glad for the interruption Sinead directed her attention to her cousin. Jonah did too, but murmured, "We're talking about this later."

She was going to retort back, but he walked past her a little and she knew he wouldn't be able to hear.

So she pursed her lips and started to follow everyone when a familiar voice cut in behind her, "Sinead?"

Stiffening, she flinched as she slowly turned to face the last person on the planet she wanted to see.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped out, not even bothering with pleasantries.

It was silent behind her, probably her cousins and brothers wondering what was going on but she didn't turn to see, her entire focus on her tall, blonde-haired ex.

Taking in his arrogant expression, she almost wished she had kept walking.

"Wow it's nice to see you too sweetheart," he smirked. "I guess that you remember me?"

"The person who broke up with me because I wouldn't jump into bed with you? How could I possibly _forget_ you, Mark?"

Surprise replaced his smirk but only for an instant. Still, Sinead felt a twinge of satisfaction seeing it. If he thought she was going to cower down…

"Just as mouthy as ever I see." His gaze scanned behind her. "These your friends?"

"Sort of," she stated, not even bothering to introduce him.

She knew that she was being rude, but memories swept over her at the sound of his voice, and hardly any of them were pleasant. That, coupled with all of the mess with Jonah, was enough to make her sorry she even came out tonight. I mean, what were the odds of Mark popping up _now?_

 _I seriously have the worst luck._

"I'm Ned, one of her brothers." Ned's voice suddenly came from behind her, and Sinead shifted slightly and noticed that all of her cousins were forming around her and Mark.

 _Wow. They all look kind of protective,_ she observed. It was sweet and Sinead knew they meant well, but she really just wanted Mark _gone._ Then she would get a cab and go back to the Kabra's house and forget that this even happened.

"Well, it was great seeing you," Sinead said, utilizing a tone to indicate that it was anything _but_ great. "But we're on our way somewhere—"

"Why are you wanting to leave so soon?" he asked, then a half smile, half sneer came on his face. "Oh, still covering it up huh?"

 _No. Please. Don't bring that up now. Not in front of—_

"You are, aren't you?" He turned to the rest of the Cahills. "She's got you all fooled, little miss perfect."

 _Don't let him get to you._

Lifting her chin at him, she started to speak when another voice beat her to it.

"Look, _who_ are you again? And what kind of crap are ya tryin' to pull with this anyways?"

Sinead saw Mark's gaze snap to Jonah, who had stepped up beside her on her right side, and another stunned look crossed his face. But it didn't last long before the arrogance returned. Unlike Jonah's 'arrogance' (which was normally just annoying), Mark's held a cold glint.

Snorting, he faced her again. "You have Jonah Wizard defending you? Wow, you really must be special now. I bet he doesn't know, does he?"

"Shut up Mark. It's not like that," she said, anger flaring up. And pain, because what she had just voiced hurt.

" _It's not like that."_

"It won't be anyways." He still wore the smug look, and she _really_ wanted to punch him.

"You're like, another whole level of douchiness," Jonah spoke up again.

Mark turned but the celebrity was still talking. "What kinda guy dates someone like Sinead who's smart and beautiful and everything and then dumps her because of sex? Did you get intimidated by her intelligence or what?

" _Smart and beautiful"? "Intelligence"?_ She stared at Jonah, not really sure how he could say those things about her, especially after she'd been snubbing him for a day.

"Nice one," Natalie whispered from her other side.

Sinead hadn't even noticed the girl slide up right beside her. She also wasn't sure what to say but she didn't have to worry because Mark was replying to Jonah.

"I wasn't the problem in our relationship. And that comment is rich coming from you, someone who probably goes through girls like candy."

"Dude you know nothing about me. But I think you should just go," Jonah growled it out and she could see his fists clenching at his sides.

"Why would I do that? I haven't even—"

"Because if you don't"—Jonah gritted his teeth—"I'll probably end up punching you and I don't need that in the headlines."

Up until this point, Sinead had been watching the scene almost as if on the outside looking in. But at the last line from Jonah, she snapped too, finding her voice.

"This is between me and Mark," she told Jonah, trying to put a firmness that she wasn't feeling into her tone.

Different emotions were churning through her, surprise, gratitude, annoyance (since she could stand up for herself) but fear was the main one. Jonah was right, he _didn't_ need this as a celebrity. And she tried not to think of why, but she didn't want him to get hurt, especially on her behalf. Jonah didn't know how Mark could be; Sinead had seen her ex in a lot of fights, and he usually won.

She turned to Mark, who had been scoffing at Jonah but now looked at her, a hard glint in his eye. Her heart dropped at seeing it, but she didn't let it show.

"Look. I'm obviously out here with my friends and you're probably out here with yours," Sinead stated. While she actually hadn't seen anyone with him, they were sure to be around. He always had a group with him. "So why don't we just agree that we both hate each other's guts and go on with our evenings?"

"Oh yeah, and let you make me out to be a horrible person to your friends? I don't think so. Maybe I should just tell them the truth—"

"Listen *sshole," Nellie started, but Mark's raised voice overpowered hers.

"Maybe I should tell them how much you sucked at intimacy. Or maybe all of the times you expected me to do things but wouldn't put out. Oh wait, that's because you were _scared._ "

Sinead was too stunned at this point to react, and everyone else must have been too, given the intakes of breaths from around her.

Mark was still talking though, spewing out more. "Or were you too concerned about your deformity, which I admit was a total turn-off when we almost did have sex. I may have overlooked it though if your personality wasn't totally sh*tty our entire relationship."

Sinead's lips trembled and she tried to speak up, to protest his words, but the emotion that hit her—shame and humiliation—kept her from doing so. She couldn't believe that this was _happening._

Ned started to speak, anger in his eyes, "Listen dude—" but a low, rage-filled voice halted him.

"You _*sshole_."

And then Mark was knocked to the ground, his shocked face the last thing Sinead saw of him. And that's because Jonah was on top of him, doing what the Ekat had wanted to do since she'd run into him.

All Sinead could do was gape, although her thoughts were whirling.

 _He's kicking his *ss. On_ _ **my**_ _behalf. And after what he said about being in the headlines too._

Just as that thought hit her Nellie muttered, "A crowd will gather soon, quick, someone get Jonah off of him."

Hamilton stepped forward and did it in one motion. Jonah turned on the Tomas, swearing as he fought him. "Let me _go._ I'm nowhere near done."

The protectiveness on his face floored Sinead, and suddenly she wanted to cry again, though she wasn't sure why. But the shock and embarrassment she felt was fading away, and something else settled in.

"There's a crowd coming," Nellie snapped at him, moving towards Mark who was starting to get his bearings. "Calm down Wizard and play along."

With with that, Nellie took Jonah's prior position and clenched her fists.

Now everyone was staring at her, including Mark, but Nellie was speaking, her voice high-pitched and angry, "How dare you jerk!"

Then she punched him right in the nose. Blood spurted out everywhere, just as people started rushing up. They all halted though, blinking at the sight in front of them: a punked out girl with multicolored hair and tons of piercings, uninjured, apparently having just beat the crap out of some guy twice her size.

 _Nellie is a genius,_ was all Sinead could think as she surveyed the scene. Her brain was going numb again, and only one thought remained. _They all know now. I've got to get out of here. While they're distracted._

She sneaked a peek at Jonah as she backed up. He was staring at Nellie too like he was in a stupor, but as if he felt her eyes he looked up quickly.

It threw her off and she panicked. She stumbled and almost fell, barely catching herself before whirling around to see where she could hide.

But Jonah was faster. Apparently her stumbling had given him time and he was right beside her, his hand gently gripping her arm. "Hey, wait."

"Let me go." Her voice was low but pain-filled. Wincing at how weak it probably sounded, she tried again. "I just need a second, okay?"

But he didn't let go. By this time Mark was on his feet, throwing accusations at Jonah. But Nellie was twisting the story and the others were backing her up. Bellowing one last profanity at Jonah, Mark stalked off, but not before calling out over his shoulder, "He'll dump you too when he sees! And when he finds out what a horrible girlfriend you are!"

And those words were her undoing. Gasping for breath, she tried to run. Only Jonah's grip on her arm tightened, preventing her from moving.

"Jonah...please…" again she struggled and again he ignored her. "Dang it, let _g-go!"_

Her voice broke on the last word and she hated it.

"Sinead. That guy has no idea what he's talking about. You're absolutely perfect like you are."

She stared at him in disbelief, that one word— _perfect_ —being the last one she expected. But logic kicked in and she spat back, still trying to hold back the tears. "You haven't seen them, you—"

"I don't have to." His voice was gentle, his grip reassuring as his hands went from grasping her arm to wrapping all the way around her.

Sinead wanted to give into his embrace, she wanted to allow herself to cry and let everything be alright for a moment. But she couldn't. It would only make it worse in the end. She knew it.

So she jerked out of his hug and gritted out, "I don't want your _pity._ "

Hurt flashed over his features but she hardened against the urge to apologize. Instead, she spun around and headed towards the water, away from her cousins, away from the crowd that was now staring at her instead of Nellie, and away from the emotions going through her body like a missile from outer space. All she wanted was to find somewhere safe to let out the pain and the anger. Somewhere where she could be alone.

 _That's the only safe way. I can't trust anyone but myself right now._

—

Sinead didn't know how long she had been sitting down by the water, huddled underneath Jonah's jacket, blankly staring into space before a voice cut though the darkness.

"Sinead?"

Nellie had found her. While the redhead wasn't up to talking to _anybody,_ she supposed it could be worse. Nellie Gomez wasn't one for comfort, something Sinead didn't really want right now.

She didn't say anything, but she heard Nellie approach her and stand right beside her. "Almost everyone else took one of the limos back," she stated, referring to one of the two Kabra vehicles that had brought them here. "Except me and your brothers, who are looking for Jonah."

 _Looking for Jonah?_

While Sinead didn't want to ask, she couldn't help but feel a prickle of unease over that statement. What if Mark…

"Jonah? What happened when I left?"

Her voice came out rough but that was to be expected after the crying spell she had just had, not to mention not using her voice since then.

"After you left he did too. He didn't say where though and no one knew what to do. That's why some of the others went back."

"So I ruined everyone's evening," Sinead stated, too emotionless to feel guilty. "Great."

"Correction, your douchey ex-boyfriend ruined everyone's evening."

The comment actually brought a smile to Sinead's face, but it fled quickly. Sighing, she stood up and finally faced Nellie.

The older girl's eyes were sympathetic but firm. "Ready to go back to the limo? I told Ted and Ned to meet us there when they found Jonah."

Sinead shrugged and looked up towards the direction of the parking area. "This is going to be an awkward ride home."

It sounded mean and selfish probably, but Sinead didn't want to see Jonah right now, especially after turning on him after he had done so much for her. Not wanting to think of that again (she had done enough of that in the last little bit) she let her mind blank as she followed Nellie back to the vehicle.

They made it there and had been standing by the door when Nellie stated, "Hey, I just got a text from Ned."

Sinead frowned at her remote tone. "What does it say?" she demanded.

"That they found Jonah at a bar and to be prepared. That's it."

Now Sinead felt worry creep back in. Why had Jonah been so stupid to go off alone? What if he had run into Mark and his group of friends? They could outnumber him so easily...

She voiced her concern but Nellie only laughed and shook her head. "First off, he wasn't the only one who ran off alone. Plus, with the mood he was in when he left, he probably could have taken them all on."

Sinead let out a snort to cover up the concern she still felt. "I guess so."

But her gaze stayed on the path leading towards the buildings, and relief poured over her when she finally spotted three figures come into view, though one was stumbling a little.

"Geez, he got wasted fast." Nellie whistled.

Sinead didn't change facial expressions but her thoughts were parallel to Nellie's as her brothers approached with a very drunk Jonah Wizard.

She didn't say anything to her brothers but threw them an apologetic look before she and Nellie climbed into the limo.

As they were pulling Jonah in behind them, Ned threw Sinead a wry look and explained, "We had to rescue him from some girl that had him cornered in the bar."

Sinead scoffed. "Are you sure you were rescuing him?"

Ted let out a dry laugh. "Oh, he definitely wasn't flirting back, even though she was gorgeous and pretty drunk too. She was really ticked that he wouldn't go in the back room with her."

Sinead wasn't sure what to think about this, but she didn't have time because Jonah, who her brothers were trying to ease into the seat suddenly moved by her. And then, to her chagrin, he laid down and rested his head in her lap, a smile on his face.

"Uhhh," she started to say, but a laugh from Nellie cut her off.

"Just leave him be. It's better for him to lie down anyway and he probably won't want to move."

Her eyes went to her brothers next, who had decided to sit across from her beside Nellie, but they looked amused too. Ted even winked.

Sighing, she looked pointedly out the window, trying not to be affected by his nearness.

"It's all your fault," Jonah suddenly mumbled, breaking the quietness that had settled in the limo.

Sinead looked down at him. His eyes were barely open but he was staring at her sadly.

She couldn't help but ask, "What's my fault?"

He yawned and closed his eyes. "That I couldn't flirt with her."

And that was all he said. Sinead sat there for a second, not sure what to say at first but snickers from the seat facing them made her snap-to.

"How is that my fault?" she tried to sound strong but her voice came out in a rough whisper.

"Cause I like _you._ Man, you're supposed to be smart."

He sounded irritated, but she was too caught off-guard to get mad in return.

Across from her and Jonah, Ned let out a cough that sounded strangled. Sinead narrowed her eyes at him, not sure if her brother was trying to cover up a laugh or not. Besides, she needed the distraction from what Jonah had just stated.

Jonah chose at that time to shift and almost fell off of her lap. Sinead reached out her hands, her reflexes kicking in and barely caught him. She should have just pulled her hands back, but for some reason, she let her left hand lightly trail from the shoulder she had grabbed to the back of his neck.

"Mmm, are you gonna give me a neck massage?" Jonah's tone was flirty.

Sinead rolled her eyes but looked down at her hand, contemplating it. All of the events over the last hour had left her drained emotionally and somehow feeling softer like her walls had been let down.

"I guess I could…" she hedged. "Since you did kind of beat up Mark for me."

"Mark." Jonah's irritated tone came back. "He's a douchebag. I can't believe he said that about you."

Sinead wanted to kick herself for asking, but once more she couldn't help it. She knew that it was messed up, trying to glean information from him in this state, but she could feel guilty about it later.

"Can't believe he said what?" she asked as she started to lightly rub his neck.

"That you were a bad girlfriend and would probably be bad at sex too. _Please,_ " Jonah snorted.

Well, that hadn't been what she had been expecting him to say. Flushing, she looked away from him, although the celebrity had his eyes shut again.

"So you're saying you think she would be a good at it?" Nellie piped in.

Sinead shot her a hard look but Jonah was already answering. "Duh."

Then he said in a whiny tone, "Why did ya stop?"

Still not looking down, her hands went back to his neck. It was best to not argue. Besides, he was drunk so it wasn't like he would remember any of this. Or at least she hoped he wouldn't.

It was silent for a few minutes and Sinead figured that Jonah had probably fallen asleep. Then his voice broke the stillness again. "I would treat you so much better than that."

A lump rose in her throat at his words as her eyes darted to him. But his breathing indicated that he was on the verge of sleep, so she stayed quiet, running one of her hands over his head while the other one stayed on his neck.

She didn't dare look across the limo, not sure what her brother's reactions would be, but she wanted to curl up somewhere and cry. _Again._ This wasn't good. What was _wrong_ with her?

 _It's him. You're finally seeing how much he's different than how you've labeled him. And you really like him because of that fact._

Nothing was said until they reached the house and Sinead finally looked up. Her brothers were already assessing Jonah.

"I guess we can just get him in and put him on the couch for now?" Ned said, as if he was talking to himself.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ted agreed.

Between the two of them and Nellie, they managed to get Jonah inside. Sinead helped by gathering her and Nellie's purses and Nellie's shopping bag (she had no idea when the girl had time to buy anything but decided not to question).

Amy and Madison were the only two in the front room, and both of their eyes widened as they took in Jonah's drunken state. Sinead didn't blame them. Somehow, she didn't take Jonah for the 'getting drunk' type and felt guilty again for her part in everything. If she hadn't reacted so _stupidly,_ then he probably wouldn't have been angry enough … but she made herself stop thinking as Ted started explaining how they had found him and brought him to the limo. Thankfully, her brother left out the conversation that followed.

Sinead just stood there, still reeling from what Jonah had admitted, not to mention the confrontation with Mark, the fact that everyone knew her personal business, and also what Jonah had said right before about not being bothered by her scars. It was all so overwhelming.

"Sinead, are you okay?" Amy's voice was right in front of her.

She looked up into her cousin's concerned face, and suddenly it all came crashing down on her.

"A-Amy. Did all of that really happen?" Her voice came out in a whisper, and she could feel the tears gathering in her eyes again.

Then she felt her cousin's arms wrap around her lightly. "Yes, but it's all okay now. Look, I can help you upstairs—"

"I want to stay down here," Sinead said, almost not believing the words that she spoke. But she realized that it was the most honest she had been all day. "I want to make sure Jonah's okay."

Amy was quiet for a moment as she rubbed her back, but she didn't protest. "Okay," she finally answered. "I can go get some blankets and your pillow and stuff."

"Thank you."

And then, not knowing why or even caring who heard, she admitted as she pulled back from her cousin's embrace, "He said he didn't care about them you know. My scars. When he pulled me aside, before M-Mark"—she gulped—"came up. Jonah said he didn't _care._ And then in the limo, he said that he _liked_ me. I d-don't know what to th-think or do or—"

But the tears stopped her, and this time they ran down her cheeks. "Sinead"—she felt Amy's hands on her shoulders—"you've been through a lot in the past few hours. I don't know what happened before with Mark or even between you and Jonah, but I do know this."

Sinead looked up at her firm tone, blinking back the tears and trying to calm down. Amy went on, "Jonah is an awesome guy, and I'm sure you can talk about all of this with him tomorrow. Right now you need to stop thinking and just rest or cry it out or whatever alright? It's okay to be emotional about it but don't stress yourself out with analyzing."

Sinead took another deep breath and nodded. Amy was right, her emotions were all over the place and it wasn't a good time to try to figure things out.

She stood there for a minute, trying to clear her head and after she felt composed enough turned back to face the couch where Jonah was.

"Sinead, here's all of your stuff," Madison whispered. The younger girl was standing there, holding a pile of blankets. "Nellie went and got it. Do you want me to help you lay it out?"

"I can—" she started, but then decided against it. Tomorrow she could go back to being self-reliant. Tonight she wanted to lean on someone else for a change. "Sure Madison, thank you."

Ned and Ted came up to her next but she barely registered it until they spoke.

"Hey, do you want company down here or no?" Ted asked softly.

Sinead managed a smile but shook her head at them. "I'm good by myself I think. But thank you. And thanks for staying and finding him, and—"

She couldn't finish so instead hugged them both lightly.

After that good nights were exchanged, and with once more assuring everyone that she would be fine, Sinead settled in.

Madison had made her pallet on the other side of the coffee table right next to the couch. Sinead appreciated it because she was close to Jonah but far enough away in case he woke up sick.

Now, she laid there and watched his form. There was no purpose really, he was sleeping hard and hadn't moved an inch since he had been placed there. But it made her feel better. Finally though, the events of the last couple of hours caught up to her, and she felt drained again. So she allowed her eyes to close and her mind to drift into oblivion.

—

 **Sort of strong writing towards the middle-end, but hopefully still good? I honestly can't see Jonah as the 'heavy drinking' type BUT he was** _ **really**_ **upset and I wanted something out-of-character to happen … one more chapter left! (And don't worry, this one will be MUCH lighter.)**

 **Also, they're not underage, I promise. When I wrote the first story, 'A Clothing Cliché' , I had the 20-22 age range in mind.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays! (Did I miss any? ;))**

—

Jonah felt like he had been hit by a freight train. That was his first thought as he awoke.

His second was, _I think I have a hangover. Which means I drank last night._

This had only happened one other time and he wondered what the heck had _happened._ Then, as he laid there and tried to get his bearings (keeping his eyes safely closed), it all came back to him.

 _Mark calling Sinead a horrible girlfriend and making fun of her scars. Her getting so upset that she turned on me. Me going and getting drunk. Me telling Sinead—wait, did I really tell Sinead that I liked her? And that I thought she would be good at—_

Suddenly aware of his pounding head and the bright light coming from somewhere, he groaned, not being able to think anymore.

"Hey, are you okay?" a soft, familiar voice inquired, causing his eyes to fly open in shock.

Immediately wincing at the movement and how it made the light brighter, he moaned again and threw his arm over his eyes. But he stilled when he felt a gentle hand being placed on his cheek.

"I'm sorry you feel so bad. Do you want some medicine?"

It was definitely Sinead. Maybe he hadn't told her all of that then.

"Um," he tried to think as he peered up at her. It was hard to see much when his eyes weren't fully adjusted, but he could see her form crouched down beside him. "Please. Somethin' strong."

She laughed lightly but didn't get up, reaching a hand behind her and pulling out some tablets and a glass of water.

"Amy," she explained as he sat up and tried to stretch his muscles a little. "She got all of this ready last night for you."

It was then that Jonah realized where he was. Looking around, he took in the elaborate decor of the Kabra's front 'sitting room', or whatever title they gave it. He couldn't remember. "Oh, I guess I couldn't make it up the stairs huh?"

Sinead answered, but he tuned her out as he noticed the pile of covers on the floor. He waited until she was finished and then asked, "Did someone else sleep down here?"

"Um…"

He looked back at her, surprised to see a blush on her cheeks.

"I did," she said finally.

She sat down in a chair beside the couch and then met his gaze, her chin lifted. "I couldn't leave you down here alone. Especially not after—"

But she broke off and looked away. Jonah considered what to say next, deciding to go with, "Thank you. I guess everyone else is still asleep? What time is it?"

"A few people have come through but have either gone into the kitchen to eat or went back upstairs. It's a little after ten."

As she said this she was frowning at the wall, but now looked back at him. "Are you hungry? Or is your stomach upset?"

"I feel fine. I normally don't throw up after I drink," he stated. "And I didn't drink as much as I do sometimes. Like I remember stuff from last night."

Then he halted, not sure if he should have revealed that to her. Warily he watched her, waiting for her to shut down.

But the moment was saved by Nellie's chipper voice. "Good morning Jonah!"

She and Amy stepped into the room, grinning at him. He tried to smile back but it came out a little forced, due to two reasons. The first one being the loudness of Nellie's voice; not a pleasant thing for a hangover. And then he couldn't believe he had let that slip out to Sinead.

"How do you feel?" Amy asked, a little more sensitive than Nellie, at least with the volume of her tone.

"Like I've been hit by my tour bus," he said honestly. "Thanks for the medicine. It will help."

"No problem." Amy took the other chair in the room but Nellie kept standing, though she moved to where everyone could see her.

"So you passed out pretty hard last night. Is it all a blank or do you remember anything? I can definitely fill you in." Nellie's tone indicated that she would be more than happy to do so too.

Jonah rubbed his face, stealing another look at Sinead. She was still sitting there but she wasn't looking at him.

He decided to direct the next question to Nellie. "I think I have the gist of it. Let's see if I remember correctly. I beat Mark to the ground, went to the bar, got drunk, pissed off some random chick by not sleeping with her, flirted with Sinead in the limo, and then passed out before we got back? Is all of that right?"

Nellie laughed. "Pretty much."

"Okay." He grinned too and looked at Sinead again. This time she was looking back and even held his gaze for a few seconds.

"You left out the part where you were trying to make me feel better and I totally flipped out on you," she stated.

He couldn't read her tone so decided to brush it off. "You were really upset. And who could blame you?"

Amy added quietly, "He's right, so don't be too hard on yourself."

"Yeah, well." Sinead abruptly got up and headed for the hallway that led to the kitchen. But she turned before she exited and looked at him. "Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm good," he said, and they all watched her disappear from the room.

Letting out a breath, he turned to Nellie and asked in a low, urgent tone, "You were in the limo last night right? Did I really tell Sinead that I liked her?"

Nellie smirked at him. "I'll tell you everything you said, in the quick form. First you told Sinead that it was her fault you didn't flirt with the bar girl because you liked her instead, added that she was supposed to be _smart"_ —Jonah winced but didn't say anything—"after that you almost fell off the bench so she caught you and you asked if she would give you a neck massage and she did. I was actually shocked over that one. Then you said that Mark was a douchebag and that you couldn't believe he implied that she was a bad girlfriend and also was probably bad at uh, being intimate. Sinead didn't really say anything but I asked you if you thought she would be good, to which you said 'duh', and _then_ —"

Nellie's smirk grew wider and Jonah's heart sank. "You said this, and I quote, 'I would treat you so much better than that'."

Jonah was watching Nellie but could see Amy's widening eyes and big smile from the corner of his eye. He looked at her now and gave her a self-conscious smile.

"Great," he said, "So I probably freaked her out with my honesty."

The girls exchanged a look and Amy said hesitantly, "Jonah, she was a mess last night. But she insisted on staying down here with you because she didn't want you to be alone and she obviously cares a lot about you. I don't think she'll bolt again."

He let it sink in and then nodded, even though he didn't believe them. "Okay. I guess I'll deal with it later."

Looking at the door, he added, "We probably should be talking about something else when she comes back in."

They agreed and changed the subject, leaving Jonah to his thoughts, which were jumbled. Plus his head was still pounding. Figuring that it would be best to talk to Sinead later, he relaxed on the couch and closed his eyes, only to be interrupted by more voices.

"Jonah, you're awake finally."

Ned. Great. Looking over towards the curving staircase, he saw that Ted was there too.

"Don't look so scared man, you moved up on our list after last night," Ted stated with a grin, getting straight to the point. Then he looked around, "Where's Sinead?"

"Right here," her voice came from the hallway.

Now Jonah felt really awkward, but the Starling boys went and greeted their sister, giving him a moment to compose himself.

"So I bet you feel pretty awful huh?" Ned asked as the three came over and sat down. "You passed out hard last night."

"My head is still killing me. And my body feels like I got beat up instead of, ya know, beating someone _else_ up." He couldn't help the pride from coming out in his voice.

At Amy's admonishing look Jonah said, "Hey, he deserved every bit of it. So no lectures on anti-violence."

"I totally agree," Nellie said. Then her eyes twinkled. "Though if there was an official report, it would say that _I_ was the one who threw the punches."

Sinead groaned, turning everyone's gaze to her. "I can't believe you all are joking about this."

Jonah shrugged while trying to read her mood, but it was Ned who spoke. "Jokes at that guy's expense? Totally called for."

Then he turned to Jonah and added with a smile, "Getting wasted jokes probably are too soon huh?"

The rapper laughed in response. "I don't care. It wasn't one of my better decisions, though," he admitted. "I wasn't exactly thinking that clearly after all that went down."

"Look it's my fault, alright?" Sinead spoke up, surprising him. He looked at her again and saw the guilt in her eyes. "If I hadn't have handled everything so badly you never would have been in that position. I'm sorry."

"Sinead—"

But she cut him off with a glare. "Don't say anything unless it's you accepting my apology."

He shut his mouth but held her gaze for a second, wondering if he should say what he was thinking.

 _Probably not in front of everyone. She wouldn't react well._

With that in mind, he stood from the couch and said to the room in general, "I'm going to take a shower and change."

Turning to Sinead, he asked boldly, "Can we talk when I'm done?"

"Um, yeah, I guess." She sounded flustered so he took mercy on her, nodded at everyone else, and then retreated.

—

Nerves settled over Sinead the second Jonah disappeared up the stairs. They must have shown on her face because Ned spoke up and said gently, "Take a deep breath. He's definitely not mad at you or anything."

She glanced over at him to see him smiling. "How do you know?" she asked, not being able to help the question.

Now everyone else was smiling too. Amy even shook her head. "He obviously likes you," she said. "Just give him a chance and don't close down on him."

"He might like me a little bit," she acknowledged. "But I just really screwed up the last twenty-four hours of his life."

"Trust me, he doesn't care," Nellie smirked at her. "He was totally happy he got to beat Mark up and I think he was glad too that he got drunk and 'accidently' told you all that stuff. It makes it easier for him. He's a male after all."

Then she looked over at Sinead's brothers. "No offense to you guys or anything."

Ted rolled his eyes. "None taken. Now I'm leaving again before Jonah comes back and it all turns awkward."

Everyone else agreed and jumped up, leaving before Sinead could think of a reason why they should stay.

The peace should have made her happy, given her time to think things over. But her thoughts were scattered (something odd for her) and it wasn't long before she found herself pacing the room, studying random objects. When she heard footsteps on the stairs she tensed, but it was just Reagan.

"Sinead! How do you feel?" she asked, her eyes lit with concern.

"I'm fine," Sinead answered truthfully. "Um, sorry I ruined your cafe plan last night."

But Reagan responded much like Amy did, waving it off and stating, "I think your ex did that. It wasn't your fault." Then she looked around the room. "Where's Jonah? Madison said he got drunk last night."

Sinead made a face. "Yeah but he's good now. I think he went upstairs to change."

Of course, she _knew_ that for a fact but didn't want to seem like she did.

Reagan opened her mouth, but shut it suddenly and flushed. "Um, I'm just going to go eat something."

Sinead frowned after the girl, wondering what she had been about to say, but then decided that it was probably best to not know.

The seconds ticked by slowly after Reagan disappeared and Sinead was just about to leave and go find something to do when she heard footsteps once more. And then Jonah appeared in her line of vision, changed into jeans and a light hoodie. He was concentrating on the stairs though and didn't meet her gaze at first. When he did, Sinead's breath caught.

It was stupid, she had already seen and talked to him a few minutes ago, but the lazy smile he flashed her made her feel all _gooey—_ as pathetic of a word as that was, it was the only one she could think of—and she gulped and darted her gaze away.

"Hey, do you wanna talk here?"

"No," she replied instantly. "Too many people going in and out."

Sneaking a peek back at him, she saw his attention on a door that led to the other side of the Kabra's huge mansion. "I know somewhere that will be private."

She gave a simple, "okay", and seconds later he was leading her into a room she hadn't even known existed—though with the size of this house, that fact wasn't surprising. The walls and accompanying decor were lavish, a mixture of blacks and creams and golds but it was still pretty and somehow not as stiff as some of the rooms here. Bookshelves surrounded comfortable-looking chairs and tucked away at the other side of the room in front of a grouping of gold-curtained bay windows sat a grand piano.

Of course. Jonah had probably sniffed this out right away.

She figured they would sit in the chairs but he walked to the piano instead and lowered himself on the bench. She drew close but halted by it, watching as he played a few broken chords that sounded suspiciously like "White Christmas" and then turned to her.

"Sorry I know we came here to talk," he grinned. "But I hadn't gotten a chance to try it out yet."

"That's okay," she said softly, smiling back at him. "I like hearing people play."

He didn't say anything, standing up to where his back was to the curtains and she inwardly prepped herself for whatever was about to come.

"I think I get it now."

"Get what?" Sinead asked, her heart pounding.

Jonah met her eyes, his own somber. "Why you're so defensive and guarded. It's because of him isn't it?"

For some reason, she felt like denying it. But that would be lying. Releasing a sigh, she crossed her arms and looked away. "Partly." Then she amended, "Mostly. He was the first guy I really opened up to. At first, everything was going well. But then…well, you heard him. I guess he just wanted one thing and then when I wouldn't give it to him he was done with me. Not to mention..." but she trailed, not ready yet to address the marks on her skin.

There was as a short pause before Jonah broke the silence. "He has no idea what he gave up."

Tears stung her eyes but she kept her head pointed away.

"Seriously Sinead, you're so much better than that."

She jerked her head over to look at him, ready to call him out on his false flattery. But the accusation died in her throat as she took in the sincere look in his eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. Then, holding his gaze, she said, "I'm sorry for treating you so badly the last couple of days. You've been sweeter than I deserve and the way you stood up for me…" she swallowed, unable to go on.

"I think you _do_ deserve things like that," he said, his gaze softening. "Sinead, I really like you. And though I'll accept your apology, at the same time I get why you acted like that. Now that I know what happened, I don't blame you for being guarded."

The next words on the tip of her tongue. "I like you too. I think I have ever since that moment at the Holts a few months ago. I just—I don't want to get hurt."

It was hard to admit. She almost couldn't believe that she was telling him this. At the same time, he had proven to her that she could trust him.

"I won't hurt you."

The words rang with conviction, enough to make a lump swell in her throat. Gazing at him, she allowed a smile to stretch across her lips. But he wasn't done. "I promise to be careful with your heart too if you give me a chance."

"Okay," she whispered.

A smile formed on his face too, and he suddenly reached over and took her hands in his, drawing her towards him. Sinead's heart started beating rapidly, especially when it looked like he might kiss her. But he halted only millimeters away. "So does that mean you'll let me take you out on a date?"

All she could do was nod.

"I sorta have a confession," Jonah said suddenly, pulling back from her. To her surprise, he looked embarrassed. It was confirmed when he all of a sudden dropped eye contact. "I've never really gone on a date. Officially anyway."

Sinead gaped at him. "You haven't? No way."

"Have you _seen_ any headlines of me taking anyone out?" he shot back.

"No," she admitted. "But I don't exactly follow the tabloids."

"Oh. Well I've hung out with girls but never made it to the girlfriend-boyfriend level. And while I'm confessing, I've never kissed anyone like the way I kissed you in the kitchen."

"B-but…"

"You think I'm lying about that too?" Now Jonah looked at her, but she saw the challenge on his face.

"I—" Sinead tried to think of how to word what was on her mind, and finally blurted, "But you were so _good_ at it! And besides, you told me you were a 'pro', remember?"

The Janus standing in front of her gave her a sheepish grin, then said, "Hey I was trying to get you to confess that you had feelings for me. Besides, I didn't say I've _never_ kissed a girl before, it just was never that, uh, intense."

Sinead fought the blush, her thoughts flying back to the moment. "So what made it different with me?" she asked, taking her turn in challenging him. She wasn't expecting the way his eyes studied her for a second but she stood firm. It crossed her mind how odd this conversation was (them discussing a kiss of all things) but Jonah was speaking.

"Well at first I was trying to impress you." He shrugged like the words were no big deal. "Then I kind of got caught up in the moment. I dunno, I can be impulsive sometimes. If something good is happening I just go with the flow."

Sinead mulled this over, not sure how she was supposed to feel. On one hand, she definitely had enjoyed their mistletoe kiss. On the other, she felt the need to take it slow. She had assumed (something she had found herself doing quite a lot of lately.) that Jonah had a lot of experience with girls and dating but to find out he didn't...did he really like her that much?

As if he heard her question, he said, "Look I know I moved kind of fast when all of that happened. I originally wasn't even planning for it to go that way. I just…" his cheeks darkened then as he blushed, something that Sinead rather enjoyed witnessing "...I really like you. Like I said before, I've never even been on a date cause I like to focus on my career and all but I've been interested in you since you did that dare a few months ago."

The dare.

So much had happened lately that Sinead had nearly forgotten what started this entire mess. Biting her lip, she thought about his words before speaking. "This is crazy. How did we go from me losing a bet, to dancing _one_ dance at a party, to making out in the Kabra's kitchen, to not speaking, to speaking, then—"

"Hold up."

She halted her frustrated rant, taking in his calm expression. " _What?"_

"You think too much, yo. My brain is starting to hurt."

Sinead glared at him for being so immature but his face went serious. "Why don't we try to forget about all of the craziness and focus on going out tonight and getting to know each other? I really liked talking to you during our dance and want to some more."

The simple suggestion relaxed her immediately. "Great idea. Oh, and, uh…" she trailed, not knowing how to broach this topic.

He tilted his head, throwing her a questioning look.

"Um, can we take it slow in the physical area too? Not that I didn't like kissing you, but…"

She expected him to smirk or say something flirty but he didn't. "Yeah. Whatever you want."

The way he said it, considerate, like it really _was_ about what she wanted, made her heart flutter.

"Great," she murmured, then tried to prepare herself for this next part. But they needed to talk about it, and there was no time like the present. "And uh, about my scars…"

He interrupted her train of thought. "Look I meant what I said before. I don't care about them. Actually"—his gaze held caution—"I think they're kinda cool."

"Cool?" she echoed dumbly. What about the awful marks were _cool_? They were deep, they were ugly, they made her think of nothing but pain and agony every time she looked at them. They reminded her of hearing her brothers' screams as the building crumbled around them, reminded her that she couldn't do anything to help them, that no matter how hard she tried she wouldn't ever be able to make them one hundred percent complete. And to top it all off, (though she _absolutely hated_ to even think of it) they made her feel insecure. And Sinead didn't deal well with emotions like that.

"I mean think about it," Jonah was saying like the topic was no big deal. "You got them in the Clue hunt, one of the worst things we've all been through. It's like coming out of a war and showing everyone the battle wounds you got. I'd be bragging if I were you."

Sinead wasn't sure if he was being sincere or trying to make her feel better, but she still fought back. "Except I was hospitalized for most of the hunt and barely participated while the rest of you did most of the 'battling', or whatever you want to call it."

"Sinead," he said calmly. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't let them define you. I know Mark probably didn't help at _all_ with the crap he said, but it's not a deformation or anything like that." His expression softened even as he raised a brow at her, like he was reading her thoughts. "I'm being for real here. I think you're perfect how you are, like I told you last night."

She wasn't sure what to think or feel right now, but as she looked into his brown eyes that were laced with genuineness, she decided to trust him on this one.

There was still one more thing left that she wanted to know—and that was if all of the things he had said while he was drunk were true but Sinead was hesitant to go there. She was feeling slightly overwhelmed and made another decision to shelf this one for a later date. Besides, she wasn't sure what she would do with the answer.

"Thank you," she whispered instead. Then, before things could get awkward she stepped closer to him. Though she had just voiced her need to take things slow, she wasn't _completely_ opposed to physical affection, and slowly reached out to touched his face. "And thank you again for everything _._ I was so wrong about you."

Again, nothing arrogant came out of his mouth. Instead, he grinned again and then leaned forward almost before she realized what was happening.

This kiss was different. It was as sweet as their first one under the mistletoe had been but this time neither one of them were trying to prove something to the other. Sinead returned the kiss, loving how he gently touched her waist as he moved his lips against hers. He pulled back after a few seconds and asked, "This is still slow right?"

"Yeah," she managed to get out.

"Good."

He brushed his lips against her cheek this time, then stepped away. "So, do you know how to play the piano?"

"No." Sinead glanced at the instrument warily like it might attack her. "I have no musical abilities. The closest I've gotten is building an entire sound system from scratch. Oh, and I've repaired the grand action in a piano similar to this one." Then, realizing how she must sound like, she added, "But that's it. I'm not a Janus or anything."

"Wow, that's impressive. But I'm about to teach you how to play."

Laughing at his determined tone, she shook her head. "You have no idea what you're saying so I'm going to help you out by saying no."

She started to back up but was stopped by his hand on her arm. It reminded her of the prior night, right before she ran from him so she made herself look at him. "Seriously Jonah, I'm awful."

"Have you ever had a Janus teach you before?"

"No. But—"

"Please, just try?"

Inhaling an annoyed breath, she looked away from his piteous expression. "Well…"

"Great," he took her hand, tugging her over to the instrument.

"This is so _cliché,_ " she complained.

But she wasn't upset at all. Maybe it was because of the way he held her hand, or maybe it was because she didn't feel quite so defensive anymore.

" _I won't hurt you."_

Or _maybe_ it was his promise that was still ringing in her ear.

"Cliché?" Jonah was snorting as he sat back on the bench, then motioned her to sit beside him. She did so hesitantly, as he continued, "Which part of all of this between us _hasn't_ been clichéd?"

He had a point. So, allowing herself to fully relax, she placed her fingers on the keys in front of her and decided to take the plunge—both literally _and_ figuratively.

"Alright," she said, looking into his eyes once more, a playful smile crossing her face. "Teach me some Janus magic."

—

 **It's a wrap! (And barely within my self-implanted deadline :D)**

 **Up next: Companion New Year Eve's piece, starring another one of my favorite couples! I'll post it as a separate story and hopefully can get it written and posted by New Year's Day, though I won't make any promises.**


End file.
